January 24, 1865. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



63 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



Day 

 of 



M'Ath 



Day 



of 

 Week, 



To 

 W 

 Tn 



F 



S 



Sun 



M 



JANUARY 24-30, 1865. 



Averajie Temperature 

 near London. 



Hazel catk'ns appear. 

 Princkss Roval Married, 1858. 

 Winter Aconite flowers. 

 Stephen Switzer born, 1683. 

 Asardli died, 1859. 



4 SUND.VY AFTER KPIPHANY. 



VV. Alton died, 1793. 



Day. 

 44.3 

 44. S 

 45.3 

 44.2 

 45.4 

 45.7 

 44.4 



Kierht. 

 32.6 

 32.4 

 32.6 

 30.3 

 30 8 

 32.0 

 32.4 



Mean. 

 38.5 

 38.5 

 39.0 

 33.1 

 38.9 

 38.8 

 35.4 



Hain In 



Inst 

 38 years. 



Day.^. 

 18 

 20 

 17 

 17 

 20 

 17 

 19 



Sun 

 Rises. 



m. h 

 52af 7 

 51 7 



Snn 

 Sets. 



m. h. 

 33af4 



Moon 

 RIbcs. 



Moon 



Sets. 



m. h. 



1 5 



53 6 



40 6 



18 7 



55 7 



22 8 



50 8 



1 m. 

 43 



:' <8 

 I » 



IS 

 40 



2! 



JInon's 

 Age. 



27 

 28 

 29 



?1^t Day of 



13 18 

 13 29 



24 



25 

 26 

 27 

 28 

 29 

 30 



From observationa taken near London duriner the last thirtv-eiKht years, the averaije day temperatare of the week is 44.8°, and It-i niRht 

 temperature 41.9'. The greatest heat was 57» on the 29th, 1S6S ; and the lowest cold, S', on the 3l3t, 1357. The greatest laU of rain was 

 0.90 Inch. 



THE MODERN PEACH-PEUNEE. 



THE LONG AND CLOSE SYSTEMS— PRUNING EOR THE OPEN 

 AIR AND ORCHAED-HOUSE. 





fes^s^*"--" 





INTRODDCTORT REMARKS-No. 1. 



T is probable that more 

 books liavc been 

 written on the 

 subject of the 

 cultivation of the 

 Peach than on 

 that of any other 

 fruit. The Vine 

 alone may claim 

 a rivalry in this 

 respect. Tn both cases this is not at 

 all surprising. The., culture of both 

 is laborious and expensive, and the 

 market value of the produce, when 

 successfully grown, only adds to their popularity. We 

 may, therefore, safely conclude that the subject of Peach 

 culture posses.ses a general and undiminished interest. 

 The recent [introduction of glazed structures, tending 

 considerably to augment the varieties cultivated, and 

 therebjr to add proportionately to the general knowledge 

 of the habits and properties of the Peach, has given an 

 immense impetus to its culture. By this means this 

 noble fruit is brought within the reach of a class of 

 growers who otherwise would never have been able to 

 obtain it. In proportion to its dissemination is the de- 

 mand for increased information as to the best method of 

 growing it well and profitably. It is true that there is 

 no lack of works treating of this subject. The only ques- 

 tion is, Do they entirely satisfy the progress of the day ? 

 Since many of them were written the varieties culti- 

 vated have multiplied immensely, many of these varieties 

 being semi-tropical in their habits, and uusuited to the 

 older modes of training. Many fine Peaches and a very 

 large proportion of the Nectarines now known, it is im- 

 possible to fruit in the open air. No one at present can 

 foretel what combinations may result in the future, nor 

 how much influence glazed stuctures pecidiarly adapted 

 to the habits of the Peach may ultimately have on its 

 general cultivation. One thing, however, is certain, and 

 that is, that the modern method of training must eventu- 

 ally supersede the old system. Nay, more, the object 

 of this treatise is mainly to attempt to show that the 

 peculiar treatment required by trees under glass is well 

 adapted for trees against walls in the open air. Certain 

 very important modifications suggested by the climate 

 of England bemg observed, the writer is quite confident, 

 fortified by his own long experience and success as a 

 Peach grower, that the new system which he proposes 

 will be found practicable, and suitable to open air as well 

 as to orchard-house training. It is with this idea that, 

 in the present series of papers, it is proposed to give an 

 outline of every system of Peach culture, ancient and 

 No. 200.— Vol. 7111, Nfw Series. 



modern, reserving to the newest experience ou the sub- 

 ject the more detailed portion. 



There is no lack of materials to select from. On the 

 contrary, the abundance of authorities is extremely em- 

 barassiug. A selection will, therefore, be placed before 

 the reader, adapted to the wants of the subject. 



In reading through the works of the older writers on 

 the Peach it is impossible not to see how, while evidently 

 well knowing their subject, they fail to make it intel- 

 ligible to the beginner. In this was the cause of their 

 failure. The instructions given presuppose an acquaint- 

 ance with the subject, which knowledge was not really 

 existing. In consequence, the rules laid down were best 

 adapted for clever gardeners, and those only who wera 

 of a certain habit of thought. In those days there was 

 little scope for the amateur. Trees were budded on 

 stocks calculated to last the lifetime of the buyer ; glass 

 was expensive ; many things now in common use were 

 unknown. One single tree, chosen from half a dozen 

 established sorts, was spread over a vast number of 

 square feet of trellis. How -n-as the amateur to expe- 

 rimentalise on such valuable stock by the light of the 

 vague and general instructions which were then current ? 

 We all remember our fathers' gardens — those expensive 

 walls — the grand old trees clothing them, " tmit hien que 

 mal " — our youthful awe and veneration of the dogmatic 

 and self-asserting artist who presided over them. How 

 could wo, fresh from Oxfoi'd, dare to suggest any devia- 

 tion from the old routine ? Aristotle knew very little 

 about Peaches, and, probably, if they ever existed in bis 

 day, called them "Persian Apples." Pliny, that great 

 observer, was far better acquainted with their taste, but 

 how few was he able to choose from ! So that the gar- 

 dener, practical as he was supposed to be, had it all his 

 own way ; and truly, in the then state of Peach culture, 

 it was the safest plan for our parents to adopt. 



Eemembering these things, let us take up some old 

 writer on the Peach, and it will at once be evident how 

 he writes only for the initiated, and how little these could 

 understand such vague rules. Still, in justice to these 

 writers, let us always bear in mind that they were well 

 acquainted with their subject, and only erred in express- 

 ing their thoughts indistinctly. But their great want 

 was woodcuts to ilkistratc their meaning. In this con- 

 sisted the great advance made by modern writers. Every 

 cultivator of the Peach now knows that all Peach shoots 

 are not alike, and he knows it by means of these in- 

 valuable illustrations. The modern books on this subject, 

 then, are chiefly remarkable for detaU and consequent 

 classification. The French excel in this branch ; the 

 national taste lies this way. From a subdivision of pro- 

 perty, under a magnificent climate, and having a varied 

 soil, each Frenchman aspires to become a possessor of 

 the land, and it follows that he loves it, and makes thie 

 most of it. Whatever may be said about agriculture, 

 this subdivision of property favours gardening. The 

 French mind is essentially given to detail, and highly 

 adapted to organise. These are valuable qualities when 

 applied to horticulture. Their books on the subject are. 

 No, 852.— Vol. XXXIII., Olu Seeies. 



